NationStates Jolt Archive

And I was wondering, what would happen, if right now, we all learned TODAY that we had 18 days left before a huge texas-sized asteroid hit Earth?

How would everyone react?

By everyone, i mean everyone--governments, mafias, everyday people, etc, etc, etc.

I think I would have one hell of an end of the world tail gate party.

I'd demand a total radio-ban on songs by Aerosmith. Post-haste.

Hmm..... I would go and do everything i wanted to ever do.

"And now, on the 5'O clock news... Mass Murders On The Rise!"

Run around in circles!

Id probably get drunk and go with my friends to storm Caffe Nero in Manchester and sit there waiting for the end, coffeed to the eyeballs with lots and lots of films.

if Bush is still in charge, the United States would start to do something about the asteroid on the 16th day

if Bush is still in charge, the United States would start to do something about the asteroid on the 16th day
But it's the size of Texas - surely Bush wouldn't let an asteroid the size of his home state mess with us!
"Don't mess with Texas!"

Governments would do everything they could to stop it, they would stop fighting, work together and try and save themselves if not their homes. Normal governmental procedure would almost certainly stop. National emergency would probably be declared in many nations.

Mafias, crime families and gangs I suppose would continue to fight, seeing no difference. They would not drop guns, they would probably do worse.

Everyday people would be terribly worried, phone lines would be permanently busy, the national grid would be pushed alot harder, people would be in a state of panic. Crime would rocket. People would probably be reduced to animal instinctiveness, much like our ancestors did long ago, fighting between ourselves.

The most sane people would probably be the ones in the mental hospitals.

18 days...

who knows, get laid?

Get together the biggest block party and go out with a bang?

stay up and sleep through the 18th day?


probably all of the above. :D

I'd demand a total radio-ban on songs by Aerosmith. Post-haste.

That or if we play enough of it loud enough perhaps the asteroid would get sick of hearing the crappy music and turn around?

That or if we play enough of it loud enough perhaps the asteroid would get sick of hearing the crappy music and turn around?
Or even send all of the cds up in a missile, even if it does more harm than good (or misses), they are gone.

I'd say the Govs would begin moving "valuable" personnel into bunkers and possibly onto the ISS - gov and business leaders and such - while desperately trying to work on a plan to blow the shit out of the asteroid. But with 18 days, there's not much to be done. The USA, EU, Russia and China *might* get missions/missles off to the asteroid, but again, only 18 days... not much time. I suspect trying to nuke the asteroid apart wouldn't work, unless you literally hit it with every nuke on the planet, while it was far enough away to break up and miss us for the most part.

Ordinary people would go mad. Those that can't get a shelter of some kind would probably end up trying to overtake shelters by force. Crime would rocket through the roof. Religious attendance would also skyrocket. I'm sure there would be many an awesome party though. The guys who always stand on the corner shouting about the end of the world would have the last laugh, methinks.

if Bush is still in charge, the United States would start to do something about the asteroid on the 16th day
Wow, I guess you really can use everything as a chance to bash Bush...

The US government would use the reverse-engineered Area 51 spacecraft, plus the entire fleet of Mayan/Egyptian/Atlantis(ian) spacecraft to vapourise the asteroid. Oh yeah Elvis and JFK would be amoung the pilots.
[/Conspiracy theory]

Errr.......I'm going to disneyland????

I'd say the Govs would begin moving "valuable" personnel into bunkers and possibly onto the ISS - gov and business leaders and such - while desperately trying to work on a plan to blow the shit out of the asteroid. But with 18 days, there's not much to be done. The USA, EU, Russia and China *might* get missions/missles off to the asteroid, but again, only 18 days... not much time. I suspect trying to nuke the asteroid apart wouldn't work, unless you literally hit it with every nuke on the planet, while it was far enough away to break up and miss us for the most part.

Ordinary people would go mad. Those that can't get a shelter of some kind would probably end up trying to overtake shelters by force. Crime would rocket through the roof. Religious attendance would also skyrocket. I'm sure there would be many an awesome party though. The guys who always stand on the corner shouting about the end of the world would have the last laugh, methinks.
Trying and failing to nuke it would obviously be a waste of time, and spending so much time trying to nuke it would take up valuable time that could have been used to evactuate a small portion of the population to either the moon or mars.

Personally, my bet is that we should evacuate to the moon. if we gotta inbreed to survive, so be it. Just make sure I'm one of the lucky ones picked to survive. :D

Personally, I would enter the Vatican and pray for as long a tenure as possible.

Sit on the ground with a paper bag on my head :D

Wow, I guess you really can use everything as a chance to bash Bush...
Oh, he just makes a damn good target of himself...

18 days full of sex and sleep...

Oh, he just makes a damn good target of himself...
Well played...

And I was wondering, what would happen, if right now, we all learned TODAY that we had 18 days left before a huge texas-sized asteroid hit Earth?

How would everyone react?

By everyone, i mean everyone--governments, mafias, everyday people, etc, etc, etc.
The govs will shut down because really.. who needs law if you're going to die anyway? There would be riots because stupid people are thinking "Im going to need all this for the rest of my life!". Oh and alcohol would be the highest selling/thing being stole on earth.

18 days full of sex and sleep...
SINNAH!!!!!

Oops, sorry, my "angry Christian" was showing...

I'd duck and cover!


Oh and I'd find a samurai sword and dig out my leather jacket so that I'd be well equipped for survival in a post-apocalyptic world.

I'd duck and cover!


Oh and I'd find a samurai sword and dig out my leather jacket so that I'd be well equipped for survival in a post-apocalyptic world.
Dude, the asteroid would be the size of texas. something that size would turn the earth into a globe of molten lava. (EDIT: or at least half of it.)

Dude, the asteroid would be the size of texas. something that size would turn the earth into a globe of molten lava. (EDIT: or at least half of it.)

maybe buy a flame retardent suit?

Run around naked on the streets. I always wanted to do that! :D

Ok, for you guys out there who think I''m a maniac:

I'll probably panck, get a heartattack and die, missing the extra broadcast saying it was the newest version of War of the Worlds :D

Definately press for an communist-anarchist revolution,
and suggest people down into large underground vault's,
and when they return up, the world goes à là the Computer-Game
'Fallout' ;)

Definately press for an communist-anarchist revolution,
and suggest people down into large underground vault's,
and when they return up, the world goes à là the Computer-Game
'Fallout' ;)
You wouldn't last very long. NO ONE would.

"Nothing would survive, not even bacteria."

;)

Dude, the asteroid would be the size of texas. something that size would turn the earth into a globe of molten lava. (EDIT: or at least half of it.)depending on where it hit. as for me, I would not survive the impact. no matter where it hits, Hawaii would be wiped off the face of the globe.

anyone seen the scene from "the simpsons" where homer runs around in circles on the floor yelling: "wootwootwoot"?
I'd do that:D

I'd sit at home and board up my house, then watch the news about the collapse of society. After the 18th day passes and the asteroid misses Earth, I'll laugh my ass off at all the dumbasses who fucked eachother and contracted AIDS.

Oh yeah, and after that, I'd prepare for the cool things to come in a devastaded world (if we survivie of course)
Boy o boy, just imagine, driving cars, drinking whiskey, shootin to survive, and dying of aids, o boy o boy

anyone seen the scene from "the simpsons" where homer runs around in circles on the floor yelling: "wootwootwoot"?
I'd do that:D
So, ya single? :D

I would eat pie. And then go rioting. And then come back to eat more pie.

Sit on the ground with a paper bag on my head :D
I'd probably lie down. ;)

I would say something along the lines of "F*ck! Now I'll NEVER play Black and White 2!", then go on a killing spree.

Alrighty, i posted this on another forum asking what would happen once the asteroid hit. this is what i got in the first reply:

Assuming "the size of Texas" refers to diameter, that's basically Ceres-size.

So: radius=500 km, density=3000 kg/m³

Mass = 1.6E+27 kg

Let's take an impact velocity of 11 km/s, and calculate the kinetic energy

KE = 9.7E+28 J

That's quite a lot. Let's see what this would do. Since the asteroid is rather small in comparison to the Earth, I'm going to take it's area as negligible.

The surface area of the Earth is 5.1E+14 m^2

Assuming that it has density 3000 kg/m³, and specific heat capacity 300 J/kg/K (based on the value for granite), and a melting point of 1300 K (to take a fairly arbitrary value), and an initial temperature of 500 K (another fairly arbitrary value).

So, how deep will this impact start to melt stuff? (This assumes no energy is required for the change of state, which is of course a ludicrous assumption, but then again, so are a few of the others I'm making)

The mass melted is 4.0E+23 kg, which corresponds to a depth of about 260 km.

Melting the planet to a depth of over 200 km is probably an extremely unpleasant experience for anything unfortunate enough to live there.

I've ignored a whole load of things like conservation of momentum, the fact that the heat capacity changes, changes of state, vapourisation, and some of my numbers for densities and heat capacities are probably wrong too, but I never claimed this is an accurate value.
Basically, Earth turns into a global lava ocean 200 km deep.

But it's the size of Texas - surely Bush wouldn't let an asteroid the size of his home state mess with us!
"Don't mess with Texas!"

Argh. Texas is NOT Bush's home state. He's from the Northeast, and plays up the "cowboy" bullshit. Anyways....

I'd get up to Ohio, pick up a friend or two, go on head to my girl's place, wait for the end whilst having a great time.

Complete and utter chaos in the world's civilian population. Damn, sometimes I really hate civilians... And being one makes me feel a little wierd in that respect. I can almost guarantee that nearly everyone would stop being friendly and start covering their own asses.

I really don't think that we could do much. Even all the worlds nukes would be like trying to stop a boulder coming down a mountain side with your fist.

I note from the post numbers under your handles that you folks have been here fer ever!!!!

Anybody here alive for the first moon landing?

OT I know, just trying to guage?

I suspect I be the resident geezer.

Nuke the thing. Not as if it isn't worth a shot. Hit it with every missle and MIRV we can get out to that distance.

Nuke the thing. Not as if it isn't worth a shot. Hit it with every missle and MIRV we can get out to that distance.

TBH, I'd support that same course of action. But that still wouldn't be going far enough. *sigh* We really need some super death ray of doom...

I'd demand a total radio-ban on songs by Aerosmith. Post-haste.

I second that!

Also, am I the only one who thinks Armageddon is actually shit?

I second that!

Also, am I the only one who thinks Armageddon is actually shit?

No!

No!

GOOD!

On the Asteroid, I suggest showing it pictures of the most powerful man in the world and seeing if it takes pity on us.

GOOD!

On the Asteroid, I suggest showing it pictures of the most powerful man in the world and seeing if it takes pity on us.out of the two Astroid movies, I like Deep Impact better.

and showing those pics might make it hit harder to put us out of our misery...

18 days, huh? Damn. There goes 14 years of hard-worked education down the drain.

I'd spend the first gathering together my friends, all of our families and make sure we all look after each other. Next, I'd appeal to any supernatural entities or deities that may exist to lend a hand. That not working, I'd make a deal with Satan that if he stops it to save everyone, he can have my life and soul immediately. That not working, I'd just shrug, give all deities the finger and go on protecting my friends.

Unless, of course, my paranoid delusions come true and I am, in fact, the antichrist. In which case, I'd make sure my friends were safe then wreak havok upon those who are using the event to loot, rape, pillage and attack others... pretty much go on a Daredevil-style righteous slaughterfest.

we would all panic, the gov would all probably launch themselves up into space, as well as any billionaires that could get ahold of that one russian comapny that launches ppl in2 space. then theyd see if they could inhabit earth wen they got back.

out of the two Astroid movies, I like Deep Impact better.

and showing those pics might make it hit harder to put us out of our misery...

I've seen Deep Impact but I am unsure if it's the same film you are on about. Although it would explain...

I guess I don't exist.

And yes, Armageddon is $hit

I guess I don't exist.

And yes, Armageddon is $hit

I like you as well.

I think they need to make a new one were some official head guy is controlling the meteor

Thanks Swayla

I mean deep impact was good but they both kind of suck

However armegedon was the biggest waset of my time I'll never get those two hours back

Make that Swayla

I've seen Deep Impact but I am unsure if it's the same film you are on about. Although it would explain...the one with Morgan Freeman as the Prez...

I note from the post numbers under your handles that you folks have been here fer ever!!!!

Anybody here alive for the first moon landing?

OT I know, just trying to guage?

I suspect I be the resident geezer.Sorry, didn't see this. and the Moon landing was months before I was born. :(

the one with Morgan Freeman as the Prez...

Well there was black guy in it but he definitely were'nt Morgan Freeman... ;)

The hero stays with the bomb and detonates is, sacrificing himself for the cause. That makes him a suicide bomber! :mad:

The hero stays with the bomb and detonates is, sacrificing himself for the cause. That makes him a suicide bomber! :mad:LOL... and in "Deep Impact", the entire Astronaut crew does the same with their remaining bombs, flying their shuttle into the astroid and detonating them. so guess that makes them what... Kamakaze pilots?

TBH, I'd support that same course of action. But that still wouldn't be going far enough. *sigh* We really need some super death ray of doom...
Actually, if we hit it from far enough out with enough force, it should act like a massive rocket engine slowing down the asteriod and allowing is to scoot on past it.

Actually, if we hit it from far enough out with enough force, it should act like a massive rocket engine slowing down the asteriod and allowing is to scoot on past it.

But in 18 days against an asteroid of that magnitude would nukes be enough? The asteroid's shift in course would be negligible I think.

Try punching that boulder as many times as you can while it rolls down the side...

But in 18 days against an asteroid of that magnitude would nukes be enough? The asteroid's shift in course would be negligible I think.

Try punching that boulder as many times as you can while it rolls down the side...
Well, no, remember each nuclear bomb is the equivalent of a few million tons (mega-ton) of TNT, and we've got around 10,000 of those...and the asteroid only hits with about a gigaton of force anyway...

Well, no, remember each nuclear bomb is the equivalent of a few hundred thousand tons of TNT (or even a million tons, with the larger nukes), and we've got around 10,000 of those...and the asteroid only hits with about a gigaton of force anyway...

Oh believe me I remember, and I think it's a plan worth it weight, but I'm not too sure how many of those nukes could reach the asteroid all at once.

First, it'll start speeding up as it get's closer due to acceleration cause by gravity, and by the time terminal velocity kicks in, we're all dead anyway.

And when the asteroid comes within our nuke's ranges it'll still be too late. The thing would still hit. We simply don't have enough nukes to vaporize it entirely, so at our missile's maximum ranges, we'd still have to deal with the possibility of the asteroid coming down in a million pieces...

Oh believe me I remember, and I think it's a plan worth it weight, but I'm not too sure how many of those nukes could reach the asteroid all at once.

First, it'll start speeding up as it get's closer due to acceleration cause by gravity, and by the time terminal velocity kicks in, we're all dead anyway.

And during that the time before it get's within our nuke's ranges it'll still be too late. The thing would still hit. We simply don't have enough nukes to vaporize it entirely, so at our missile's maximum ranges, we'd still have to deal with the possibility of the asteroid coming down in a million pieces...
Better in a million pieces because our atmosphere can absorb them then in one big chunk. Most of them would burn up as they came down anyway if we managed to fragment it. I think we could get enough out to give it a good go anyway, not as if we have much of a choice.

I'd go crazy and step on all the grass on places where it CLEARLY says "No walking on the grass"

Better in a million pieces because our atmosphere can absorb them then in one big chunk. Most of them would burn up as they came down anyway if we managed to fragment it. I think we could get enough out to give it a good go anyway, not as if we have much of a choice.

*Yoda speak.* "I...agree."

The problem is, I don't think that we'd know enough about the asteroid's internal structure to be sure that it would break up at all. (From the nukes all hitting its exterior)

But, like you say, we wouldn't have much choice in the matter.

*Yoda speak.* "I...agree."

The problem is, I don't think that we'd know enough about the asteroid's internal structure to be sure that it would break up at all. (From the nukes all hitting its exterior)

But, like you say, we wouldn't have much choice in the matter.
Even if we don't destroy it completely, we might blow off enough chunks so what hits us is smaller then what would destroy the human race.

Even if we don't destroy it completely, we might blow off enough chunks so what hits us is smaller then what would destroy the human race.

Yeah, I know, I know. As I said:

"But, like you say, we wouldn't have much choice in the matter." So...there.

You wouldn't last very long. NO ONE would.

"Nothing would survive, not even bacteria."

;)

Never underestimate the power of survival.....they love to say that life is fragile, but in all reguards it is actually quite hardy.

When in deadly danger
When beset by doubt
Run in litle circles
Wave your arms and shout



I'd probably do something along the lines of that.